William
M.
Hart
Main Biography
Bill focuses his practice on appellate law, with an emphasis on appeals of insurance coverage and general litigation matters. He has handled close to 400 appeals in Minnesota courts, as well as in the state and federal appeals courts across the country.
Because of his reputation in the area of appellate law, Bill is regularly selected by his peers as a Super Lawyer in Minnesota Law & Politics magazine. He is also a Leading Attorney in a statewide survey conducted by American Research Corporation.
Many of the cases I handle on appeal are cases that the firm handled at the trial court level. Unlike many other law firms, we are able to offer our clients in-house continuity of expertise, from discovery and trial through appeal, for their important cases.
Bill is also sought out to handle the appeal of cases that were originally tried by another law firm. He also consults with outside trial counsel and represents civic, business, and trade groups by writing and filing amicus curiae briefs. For many years, he has served as the chair of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association amicus curiae committee.
Bill is a frequent lecturer on appellate practice and procedure. He teaches appellate advocacy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where he is also a mentor. He has contributed to leading legal publications, including Black's Law Dictionary and the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guides.
Bill sits on the board of the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, as well as the board of the Minnesota Loan Repayment Assistance Program - a non-profit organization that helps make it possible for competent legal counsel to represent low-income and disadvantaged populations.
Outside the office, Bill is a big fan of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Along with a colleague, he filed an amicus curiae brief in the case that kept the Twins in Minnesota. He enjoys professional basketball, and sits on the appeals committee of the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association. He has also been a troop and expedition leader for the Boy Scouts of America.  
Professional Affiliations
- Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, Chair, Amicus Curiae Committee, 2001-present
- Douglas K. Amdahl Inn of Court, member
- Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, founding member, Secretary, Publications Committee Co-chair
- Minnesota State Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section Governing Council, member, 2008-2010
- University of St. Thomas School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Appellate Advocacy, 2005-2008
Community Involvement
- Minnesota Loan Repayment Assistance Program, Board of Directors, 2002-present
- University of St. Thomas School of Law Mentor Externship program, mentor, 2004-present
- University of Minnesota Law School, Student Life Committee
- Minnesota Youth Soccer Association, member, Appeals Committee
- Expedition Leader, Boy Scouts of America, Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, NM
Representative Cases
- James R. Williams v. Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith, 2011 WL 4905629 (Minn. App. October 17, 2011)
- Butts ex rel. Iverson v. Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Soc., 802 N.W.2d 839 (Minn. App. 2011), review denied (Minn. Oct. 26, 2011)
- Cynosure, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 645 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2011)
- W3i Mobile, LLC v. Westchester Fire Ins. Co., 632 F.3d 432 (8th Cir. 2011)
- Glorvigen v. Cirrus Design Corp., 796 N.W.2d 541 (Minn. App. 2011)
- Kingsley v. Pinto, No. A10-1197, 2011 WL 1743840 (Minn. App. May 9, 2011)
- Tschakert ex rel. Tschakert v. Fairview Health Servs., 2011 WL 206149 (Minn. App. Jan. 25, 2011)
- Keely v. Germscheid, 2010 WL 2265682 (Minn. App. June 8, 2010)
- Glumak v. Duluth Clinic, Ltd., 2010 WL 87881 (Minn. App. January 12, 2010)
- Swanson v. Brewster, 784 N.W.2d 264 (Minn. 2010)
- Master Blaster, Inc. v. Dammann, 781 N.W.2d 19 (Minn. App. 2010)
- Mertz v. 999 Quebec, Inc., 780 N.W.2d 446 (N.D. 2010)
- West Bend Mut. Ins. Co. v. U.S. Fidelity and Guar. Co., 598 F.3d 918 (7th Cir. 2010)
- Juetten v. LCA-Vision, Inc., 777 N.W.2d 772 (Minn. App. 2010)
- Haag v. Fairview Health Services, 2009 WL 1684459 (Minn. App. June 16, 2009)
- Hautala v. ALZA Corp., 2009 WL 1515444 (Minn. App. June 2, 2009)
- St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co. v. Brother Intern. Corp., 319 Fed. Appx. 121 (3rd Cir. 2009)
- Glanzer v. Reed, 757 N.W.2d 417 (S.D. 2008)
- Whole Enchilada, Inc. v. Travelers Property Cas. Co. of America, 581 F.Supp.2d 677 (W.D. Pa. 2008)
- In re Buckmaster, 755 N.W.2d 570 (Minn. App. 2008)
- MacRae v. Group Health Plan, Inc., 753 N.W.2d 711 (Minn. 2008)
- Delgado v. Neurosurgical Associates, Ltd., 2008 WL 1867936 (Minn. App. April 29, 2008)
- Lindsay v. St. Olaf College, 2008 WL 223661 (Minn. App. January 29, 2008)
- Melrose Hotel Co. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., 503 F.3d 339 (3rd Cir. 2007)
- Wakefield Pork, Inc. v. Ram. Mut. Ins. Co., 731 N.W.2d 154 (Minn. App. 2007)
- ACS Systems, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 53 Cal. Rptr. 3d 786, 794 (Cal. App. 2007)
- Carlson v. SALA Architects, 732 N.W.2d 324 (Minn. Ct. App. 2007)
- Hypoguard, et al. v. St. Paul Fire, 2007 WL 4236427 (Minn. App. Dec. 4, 2007)
- Innsbruck Village Ass'n v. Stock Roofing, Inc., 2006 WL 3772286 (Minn. App. December 26, 2006)
- Seren Innovations, Inc. v. Transcontinental Ins. Co., 2006 WL 1390262 (Minn. App. May 23, 2006)
- Urban v. American Legion, Dept. of Minnesota, 723 N.W.2d 1 (Minn. 2006)
- Jerry’s Enterprises v. Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, 711 N.W.2d 811 (Minn. 2006)
- Barradas v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 2006 WL 852102 (Minn. App. April 4, 2006)
- Resource Bankshares Corp. v. St. Paul Mercury Ins. Co., 407 F.3d 631 (4th Cir. 2005)
- Rowe v. Munye, 702 N.W.2d 729 (Minn. 2005)
- City of Elkhorn v. 211 Centralia Street Corp., 685 N.W.2d 874 (Wis. Ct. App. 2004)
- Compaq Computer v. St. Paul Fire, 2003 WL 22039551 (Minn. Ct. App. Sept. 2, 2003)
- Metropolitan Property & Cas. Co. v. Miller, 589 N.W.2d 297 (Minn. 1999)
- Meadowbrook Inc. v. Tower Ins. Co., 559 N.W.2d 411 (Minn. 1997)
- Anderson v. Minnesota Insurance Guaranty Ass’n, et. al., 534 N.W.2d 706 (Minn. 1995), reh’g denied (Sept. 20, 1995)
- Midwest Federal Savings v. American Casualty Co., 10 F.3d 568 (8th Cir. 1993)
- Metropolitan Sports Facilities Comm’n v. Minnesota Twins Baseball Club, (Minn. App. Jan. 16, 2002), review denied (Minn. Feb. 4, 2002)
Publications
- "Orders and Judgments" Minnesota State District Court Civil Practice Deskbook (2009)
- Civil Jury Instruction Guide, Insurance Committee member (2005)
- Black's Law Dictionary, contributing editor, 8th Abridged Edition (2005)
- "Settlements with Fewer Than All Parties - Covenants Not to Sue and Pierringer Releases" Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Release Deskbook, (3rd ed., 1993) (4th ed., 1998)
- "Testimony: Remembering Minnesota's Supreme Court Justices" Coordinating editor
Professional Recognitions
- Named an Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer, 2011
- Selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, S.C.)
- Selected for inclusion in the Minnesota Super Lawyers® list, 2000-2011
- Recognized as a Top 10 Appellate Super Lawyer, Minnesota Law & Politics, 2005
- Recognized as a Top 100 Super Lawyer, Minnesota Law & Politics, 2001-2002
- Awarded the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, AV® Preeminent ™ (AV is a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies)
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Federal Court Admissions
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United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2010
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United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 1997
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United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1989
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United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1992
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United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1986
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United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1996
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United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1992
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United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1996
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United States District Court, District of Minnesota, 1985
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